Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 12. März 2022

Der russische Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine wird zunehmend von Artillerie- und auch Luftangriffen auf weitere ukrainische Städte bestimmt – ein Vorgehen, das angesichts des weiterhin verlangsamten Vormarsches der Truppen am Boden zu erwarten war. Der Sammler am 12. März 2022:

• Aus den Briefings des ukrainischen Generalstabs am (heutigen) Samstag:

Von Samstag 0000 Uhr ukrainischer Zeit (in der auf Facebook veröffentlichten englischen Version)

(…) Russian troops bombed the border settlements of Kopany, Bukhlychi and Verkhny Terebezh in Belarus. No one was injured in the bombings on Belarusian territory.
The insidious provocation was carried out in order to involve the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus in a military operation against Ukraine on the side of russia.
No offensive by the occupiers was noted in the Polissya direction. The enemy continues to hold the border near the settlements of Poliske, Kukhari, Borodyanka, Andriyivka, Motyzhyn, Gorenichi, Bucha, Demidov. Conducted measures to restore combat capability and regrouped troops.
In the northern direction, the enemy is trying to conduct an offensive operation in the strip in the directions of settlements Zazymya and Vyshenky. In some areas it is partially successful. In order to block Chernihiv from the south-western direction, trying to occupy settlements Mykhailo-Kotsyubynske and Shestovytsia.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy concentrated forces in the areas of settlements Severodonetsk, Svatove, Kupyansk, Velyka Pisarivka, Moskovsky Bobryak, Lebedyn, but does not carry out active offensive operations. Carries out the transfer of reserves to Sumy.
In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, the enemy focused its main efforts on capturing the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Severodonetsk.
In the South Bug direction, the enemy holds the previously captured frontier.
Some units of the enemy were established in the areas of settlements Stepove, Scherbaki and continue to perform tasks in the area of settlement Hulay Pole.
Regarding the activities of the enemy’s air component. The Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the russian Armed Forces used air-based cruise missiles at facilities in Ukraine in the cities of Lutsk, Dnipro, and Ivano-Frankivsk. At least six Tu-95MS aircraft were involved in the missile strike, which launched at least 10 cruise missiles.
The enemy is trying unsuccessfully to restore the logistics of its units.
Anti-Russian rallies are taking place in the temporarily occupied territories.

und aus dem Briefing am Samstagmorgen 0600L (0500 MEZ)

(…) Since the beginning of hostilities, thirty-one battalion-tactical groups of the enemy operating on the territory of Ukraine have lost their combat capability.
As a result of hostilities, most units of the Armed Forces of the russian federation that had direct fire contact with units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are demoralized, the moral and psychological condition of personnel continues to decline, there are cases of capture by individual groups. During the last three days, small groups of enemy deserters have been moving towards the state border.
The enemy is experiencing a big problem with manning the reserve.

• Das Morgenbriefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums (ebenfalls auf Englisch via Facebook):

The grouping of troops of the Donetsk People’s Republic, with fire support from the Russian Armed Forces, reached of Novoandreevka, Kirilovka settlements and blocked Blagodatnoe. The advance was 8 kilometers.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, continuing the offensive on a broad front, reached Novodonetskoe – Novomayorskoe – Egorovka line. The advance was 11 kilometers.
During the day, aviation and military air defence shot down 3 unmanned aerial vehicles, including 2 Bayraktar TB-2.
Operational-tactical and army aviation hit 87 military assets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Including: 4 command posts and communication centres, 3 anti-aircraft missile systems; 1 S-300, 1 Buk M-1 and 1 Osa, 3 ammunition and fuel depots, as well as 63 areas of military equipment concentration..
In total, during the operation, 3,346 objects of the military infrastructure of Ukraine were disabled.
Destroyed: 121 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,067 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 114 multiple launch rocket systems, 389 field artillery guns and mortars, 862 units of special military vehicles.
In the course of successful offensive actions against Ukrainian nationalists, Russian servicemen capture a large number of portable anti-aircraft missile systems of various types.
So, Igla MANPADS were seized in Kherson region yesterday. Ukrainian nationalists, hastily retreating from their positions, threw these complexes in boxes along with other weapons and ammunition.
Currently, verification of the serial numbers of MANPADS has been organized to identify the supplier country of this weapon from Eastern Europe.
The Kiev nationalist regime, creates a long-term threat of terrorist attacks to civilian aircraft, by uncontrollably distributing portable anti-aircraft missile systems received from European countries and the United States.
This applies not only to Ukraine, but primarily to European countries that send hundreds of mercenaries and Neo-Nazis to participate in hostilities.
Russian servicemen will continue to search for and seize MANPADS abandoned by nationalists in order to prevent the deadly weapons from reaching terrorists and their export outside Ukraine.

• Das knappe Intel Update des britischen Verteidigungsministeriums (KORREKTUR nach geänderter Veröffentlichung):

Fighting north-west of Kyiv continues with the bulk of Russian ground forces now around 25 kilometres from the centre of the city.
Elements of the large Russian column north of Kyiv have dispersed. This is likely to support a Russian attempt to encircle the city.
It could also be an attempt by Russia to reduce its vulnerability to Ukrainian counter attacks, which have taken a significant toll on Russian forces.
Beyond Kyiv, the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled and continue to suffer heavy Russian shelling. 

(Heute Betrieb aus privaten Gründen auf Sparflamme, deshalb nur noch:)

• Update: Die USA kündigen weitere Waffenlieferungen an die Ukraine an – und es gibt offensichtlich Planungen auch Flugabwehrsysteme (jedenfalls größer als Stinger) zur Verfügung zu stellen. Aus der New York Times:

The White House has approved an additional $200 million in arms and equipment for Ukraine, administration officials said on Saturday, responding to urgent requests from President Volodymyr Zelensky for more aid to stave off the Russian invasion.
The latest arms package, which officials say includes Javelin antitank missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles, follows a $350 million arms package the Biden administration approved last month. (…)
The weapons come from existing U.S. military stockpiles in Europe and are flown to neighboring countries such as Poland and Romania, where they are shipped overland into western Ukraine.  (…)
Pentagon officials said they were also working closely with Eastern European nations, in particular, to provide more surface-to-air missile defenses to Ukraine, adding that such deliveries could be announced in the next few days.

Der Vollständigkeit halber noch: Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz und der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron telefonierten am Samstag (erneut) mit Wladimir Putin – nicht zuletzt mit dem wiederholten Versuch, einen Waffenstillstand zu erreichen. Wie gegensätzlich nicht nur die Positionen, sondern schon die Wahrnehmungen dieses Gesprächs waren, zeigt ein Blick auf die Mitteilungen beider Seiten dazu.

Von der deutschen Seite:

Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz und der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron haben am (Samstag) Mittag abermals gemeinsam mit Russlands Präsidenten Wladimir Putin telefoniert. Das Gespräch ist Teil der andauernden internationalen Bemühungen, den Krieg in der Ukraine zu beenden. In dem 75-minütigen Gespräch drangen der Bundeskanzler und der französische Präsident auf einen sofortigen Waffenstillstand in der Ukraine und auf einen Einstieg in eine diplomatische Lösung des Konflikts. Über weitere Inhalte des Gesprächs wurde Stillschweigen vereinbart.

Und die russische Darstellung (in der englischen Veröffentlichung des Kreml):

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz and President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.
In response to the issues raised by the leaders of France and Germany regarding the humanitarian situation on the territory of the military operation to protect Donbass, Vladimir Putin informed them of the real situation on the ground. In particular, the Russian leader cited multiple facts of gross violations of the international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian army and police: extrajudicial killings of dissenters, hostage taking and the use of civilians as human shields, deployment of heavy weaponry in residential areas, in proximity to hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and so on. At the same time, nationalist battalions regularly sabotage rescue operations and threaten civilians when they attempt to evacuate. Vladimir Putin urged Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz to influence Kiev authorities so as to stop such criminal acts.
The President of Russia gave a detailed account of the series of talks held via videoconference by Russian and Ukrainian representatives over the past days. In this connection the three countries’ leaders reviewed some issues pertaining to the agreements being worked out concerning the implementation of the earlier Russian demands.
The leaders agreed to continue their contacts on Ukrainian issues.